CHERYL and Simon are back in the judging seats together again, alongside X Factor veteran Louis and new judge Mel B. How long before sparks fly?

With the return of judges Simon Cowell and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini it seems the new series of The X Factor might be the most explosive yet. Simon and Cheryl famously fell out in 2011 when the music mogul asked the Geordie pop star to join him on the judging panel of The X Factor USA. He’d hoped the sparkling chemistry they had shared on the British version of the talent search would be equally popular with American audiences.

However, in a decision that would make headlines on both sides of the Atlantic, Cheryl was axed before The X Factor USA even made it to air. Although Cheryl has admitted that she was furious with Simon at the time, it seems the notoriously feisty duo have decided to kiss and make up for the 11th series of The X Factor, which begins on ITV tonight.

Cheryl and Simon are returning to the panel for the first time since 2010 alongside veteran judge Louis Walsh and newcomer Mel B of the Spice Girls. “It feels good to be reunited with Cheryl, I’ll be honest with you,” Simon, 54, admits. “She’s been on good form. It’s almost like the last four years disappeared.

“We just picked it up straight away. She’s been fun and annoying, but good to be with.

“We had a lot of conversations before Cheryl agreed to come back. But what was interesting was that once we got past whatever we had to get past, we then started talking about the show and we reminded ourselves of the past series we had made, which were great. We want to recapture that and make a show that is fun and big and, most importantly, find a star. Or maybe more than one star.

“I think, in a weird way, it’s good that I’ve had a break from the show. I’ve watched the show from a distance and now I feel like I’m back in control again. I like it.”

Cheryl, 31, who recently married French entrepreneur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini after a whirlwind romance, jokes that Simon had to do a lot of “begging and grovelling” before she agreed to rejoin The X Factor. “Simon has his own way of being very annoying. He knows which buttons to push and he’ll push them, and push them, and push them. But I play the long game. I’m waiting. Don’t worry about me, I’ll get my own back,” she says.

“It just felt like the right time to come back. I’d had enough time to appreciate it and get really excited about finding new talent again.”

Hosted by Dermot O’Leary, The X Factor aims to uncover Britain’s new singing superstars. The show has already launched the careers of acts such as Ella Henderson, Olly Murs, Leona Lewis, Cher Lloyd, JLS and, of course, One Direction, who have gone on to become one of the most successful bands in the world.

One Direction finished in third place in 2010 but went on to become international bestselling stars [GETTY]

With an impressive pop pedigree of her own, including nine number one UK singles with the Spice Girls and one as a solo artiste, Mel B believes she has what it takes to spot a potential winner.

“As a judge, I would like to think that I’m just really honest. I just call it how it is and whatever I see and whatever I feel, I just express that,” she says. “I think for anybody auditioning, you’ve just got to really believe in yourself and show your commitment, show your passion and work on your voice. Then turn up and do the best job possible.”

And as with her Spice Girls heyday, 39-year-old Mel insists there’s plenty of girl power on this year’s show and dismisses any rumours of rivalry with Cheryl. “For a start, I absolutely adore Cheryl,” Mel insists. “She’s gorgeous, she’s an artist, she’s confdent, she’s strong – everything I love in a woman. She is fabulous.”

Louis Walsh, 62, who is the only judge to have appeared on every series of The X Factor since it began in 2004, says this year’s judging panel is the best yet. “This year is fantastic. This was meant to be,” he says. “There’s good chemistry between all of us. Simon and Cheryl are very funny and are always annoying each other. Mel is really honest. This is the perfect panel, it really is.”

This year, the competition travelled to Manchester, London, Newcastle and Edinburgh in the hope of finding charttopping artists. The contestants faced two auditions – the first in the intimate environment of a closed room with the judges, the second in the daunting surroundings of Wembley’s SSE Arena in front of a live audience.

“I found the first day of going back to the small room a nightmare because you’re so close to the contestant,” Simon admits. “I had a real problem about laughing when I shouldn’t laugh. I think it’s really intimidating – for the contestant and for us.

“I think the good thing about the small room is that you get to know more about the contestants because they’re not playing to a crowd. But I like the fact they have to go through the next stage, from the small room into the arena, because you see both sides of them. Some people will shine and some people will fall to pieces,” he adds.

When asked what she is looking for from this year’s contestants, Cheryl reveals that she’s hoping to find a winner with international appeal. “I hope we see somebody fresh and very different. Somebody that we can take around the world and say ‘this is a great ambassador for what we do’,” she says.